In the following Quick Tip tutorial you will learn how to use Ellipse Tool, Brush Tool, and Gradients in Adobe Photoshop CS6 to create Nexus 7 abstract background. You can use these techniques and elements to create your own abstract background for tablet or smartphone! Layered PSD file included. Let’s get started!

Final Image Preview

Start working by creating a new document (Ctrl+N) in Adobe Photoshop CS6 with the size 1920px by 1200px (RGB color mode) at a resolution of 72 pixels/inch. Use the Paint Bucket Tool (G) to fill with #242678 color the new background layer.

Create a new layer and select the Soft Round brush.

Use this brush to paint the canvas on its top right side and on the left one on the bottom part. The brush’s color is black (set brush’s Opacity to 15% in Options bar).

Next we’ll try drawing several small circles, use the Ellipse Tool (U) and the color #FF6C00 to draw the next ellipse:

Set Fill to 13% for this layer and click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel to select Drop Shadow.

We’ve got the next result:

Next we’ll make many copies of the last drawn circle and select the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to make smaller each copy by turn, placing them the same way from below.

Create a new layer and select the Soft Round brush from Brush Tool (B).

Use this brush to paint the circles situated on the left side, on the top and on the bottom part. The brush’s color is #FEAC00 and brush’s Opacity – 40%.

Set the Blending mode for this layer to Overlay.

Using the same Ellipse Tool (U), we may represent several more circles on different layers. Their color is #FFCDCD. Set Fill to 10% for these layers.

Combine in a group all the layers containing the pink circles (press CTRL button to select the necessary layers and hold on the left mouse’s button while dragging the selected layers on Create a new group icon from bottom part of the Layers panel). Set Fill to 0% for the group made and click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel to select Gradient Overlay.

Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.

We’ve got the next result:

Insert the mask on the circles’ group by choosing Add layer mask on the bottom part of the Layers panel and choose the Soft Round brush of black color.

Paint in the mask using this brush to hide the left edge of the circles as shown.

Using the Ellipse Tool (U), we’ll continue representing the circles the same way we did with the previous ones. The color of each circle is #FFCDCD. Set Fill to 0% for these layers. Each circle must be represented on a separate layer.

Let’s put together in a group the made circles. Set Fill to 0% for the group made and click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel to select Gradient Overlay.

Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.

We’ve got the next result:

Make a copy of the group we’ve got and select the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) command to make smaller each copy by turn the same way described on the picture. Set Fill to 0% for this group. Also on the group’s copy we should apply different settings for Gradient Overlay:

Click in the color bar to open the Gradient Editor and set the color stops as shown. Click OK to close the Gradient Editor dialog box.

We’ve got the next result: